Tu B'Shvat

Originally just the day when trees were considered a year older, relevant in the ancient world for tithing purposes—Tu B’Shevat was transformed by the kabbalists of Safed into a celebration of nature, its fruits, and the Divine “tree” reaching toward us. At Tu B’Shevat seders (the four cups of wine borrowed loosely from the Passover seder), revitalized in modern times and inspired with an environmental consciousness, we drink the fruit of the vine and eat many different kinds of fruit from trees—from the tough hard walnut to the luscious pomegranate—evoking different aspects of the Divine and of humanity.

Latest Rituals

“In Shvat, we cross a threshold / into a mysterious realm / hidden within ourselves and the deep interior of trees…”
an arbor of trees
“There is a tree somewhere, so they say. / And that tree has its roots in a culture / that spreads back millennia.”
A tree across from a lake against a dark starry night
A special tree inspires a sacred moment.
tree in shape of a heart
“May our planting cause multiple levels of life to abundantly flourish…”
seedling
“temples of leaves / firmaments of roots”
orchard at dawn
A ritual for the holy work of seeding your garden or farm
An Embodiment Ritual for Planting the First Seeds of the Season
This ritual can be used as a way to enter into a Tu B’shvat seder or teaching session or as an intention-setting or witnessing ritual for an environmental action
white hands cupping water over a body of water
“Beneath her tree we sought the truth”
white adult hands holding small plant and handing it to small white child hands

Tekhine connecting the mitzvah of honoring our parents with the mitzvah of caring for Mother Earth

A Tekhine to Honor Mother Earth

“We struggle to rejoice in budding trees”

Blessings of the Trees in a Covid Year

The Reconstructionist Network

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